Spark-arrester.



Patented Apr. 29, [902. l E. J. SMITH. SPARK ARRESTER. (Appucati med June 15, p01.)

(No IIAodeI.)

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EDWARD JAMES SMITH, OF HIGH SPRINGS, FLORIDA.

SPARK-ARRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :PatentV No. 699,031, dated April 29, 1902. Application led June 15, 1901'. Serial No. 64.693. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern: Be it known that I, EDWARD J AMES SMITH, of High Springs, in the county of Alachua and kState of Florida, have invented a new and use.-

fullmprovementin Spark-Arresters, of which the following is a specification'.

My invention is an improvement in spark-I arresters designed especially for use on locomotives, and has for an object to provide a simple novel automatically-operating con-` or sparks, and this draft is only on when the throttle is open and steam is in the cylinders. I therefore provide means operated by the steam for adjusting the spark-arresting devices in position to guard the stack, permitting the arresting devices to adjust 'clear of the stack when the throttle is closed, so a free, open, and unobstructed natural draft is had when the engine is drifting or rollingor in firing up a cold engine'. Y

The invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, 'as' will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aside View, partin section, showing myinvention in place with the arresting devices closed with respect to the stack. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the arresting devices in opened position, and Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation illustrating the means for operating the arrestingscreen by the blower.

By my invention I provide a spark-arresting screen which is movable to and from a position to guard the entrance to the stack also, means for automatically adjusting the said screen to such position by the'force ot' the steam when the engine is Working.

In general respects the engine may be of ordinaryT construction. Thestack or its saddle has a depending tubular flange or portion A within the smoke-box and preferably tapered to form a close j'oint with the spark-arresting screen or cage B when the latter is adjusted to the closed position shown in Fig. l, in which position it guards the entrance to the stack.

The screen B may be made of reticulated Y mounted onV the steam-chest.

wire, perforated plate, or other foraminous material and is preferably composed of the ytapering base and upper sections B B2, united at their bases, and the cylindrical top section B3, having a top rim registering with the inlet -to the stack and movable 'in closedposition to guard said opening,- as willjbe understood from Figxl. The`form of the screen or cage .is such as to provide a large screeningi surface, as will be readily understood. When in the position shownin Fig. 2, which is that maintained by the screen when the enginelis at rest or driftingor rolling, the screen is lowered clear of the inlet-opening to the stack, leaving the latter clear and offering no obstruction to the free natural draft of the engine. -To close the screen, I provide means for positi vely lifting it from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. l by the action of the steam when the throttleis opened. This is preferably accomplished by connection with one of the steam-chests and by the mechan- .lism shown and consisting of a cross-shaft C,

the shaft being extended beyond the boiler and having above the steam-chest a crankarm C2, to which is connected a rod C4, leading from a piston operating in a cylinder D, i Y l H By this means whensteam is admitted Ito the chestgit will by entering the cylinder D operate the pistontherein to set the parts tothe position shown in Fig.- 1 and holdthem in such position until the steaml is,v cut off, when the arresting-screen will unseat itself and drop to the position shown in Fig/2, leaving the entrance to the stack .entirely unobstructed. Thus when the engine is at rest or is drifting or rolling there is no obstruction to the free natural draf-t; but the instant the forced draft y.is started by admitting steam tothe engine rthe spark-arresting screen is automatically adjusted to guard the stack. j I th us work the arrester to guard the stack when steam is admitted to the steam-chest. i

The arrester and the depending stack-flange are formed with turned joints, so they will fit close together in the closed position shown in Fig. 1. p y

The automatic spark-arrester is adapted to either wood or coal burning engines with ex- IOO tension front ends and straight stacks and permits of the use of any kind of wire-netting and perforated or slotted steel. There is no trouble whatever to get an engine hot when fire is first started, as the engine has the same unobstructed natural draft as though there were nothing in the front at all, there being no obstructions to the draft whatever. The improved device can be put in at a very little expense and is so constructed that all steampipe joints are in sight when front door is opened, enabling a mechanic to locate a leaky steam-pipe joint without removing anything. The arrester can bc taken ont in a few minutes after the engine is cool enough for a man to get into the smoke-box. The arrester can also he made in two pieces, and one man can handle any part of it My improvement will permit the use of either coal or wood without any changes whatever, unless one wishes to use the brick arch in the fire-box. I usea table-grate when necessary for both wood and coal. For woodburning engines I may use perforated steel from one-sixteenth inch to one-eighth inch perforation, No. l0 wire gage, and for coalburning engines I may use slotted-steel slots one-eighth inch and three-eighths inch or onehalf inch long, as may be desired.

For guiding the arresting-screen I prefer lo provide guide pins or rods E, which extend alongside the section B3 of-the screen and through a flange 113 at the upper end of same, guiding the screen as it is moved verlically.

To avoid any possibility of sparks being discharged when the engine is at rest or drifting, when the blower-is put on I prefer to provide a small cylinder F on the opposite side from the cylinder D and `connect its pistourod G with a crank H on the shaft C, a pipe G being arranged to couple the said cylinder F with the blower-pipe, so that when the blower is opened or put on steam will pass to the cylinder F and raise its piston. After this piston has traveled a short distance to raise the screen I employ a little opening with a half-inch pipe G2 from the cylinder F into the smoke box for a blower. When the blower is applied, I use a three-quarter-inch pipe from boiler-head to cylinder to charge the cylinder and a half-inch pipe to take it from the cylinder into the stack to act as a blower, so the arrester will be forced to p0- sition to guard the stackwhen forced draftis being used either from cylinder when engine is working or from blower when blower is being used with engine at ease or standing, these being the ways in which artificial draft is created.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A locomotive spark-arrestercomprising in combination with the stack, an arrestingscreen composed of the tapering,r base and upper sections united at their bases, the cylindrical section extending from the reduced end of the upper tapered section and registering with and movable into and out of position to abut and guard the lower end of the stack, an operating-shaft having a crank-support for the arrestingscreen and an operatingcrank, a piston connected with said operating-crank, and the cylinder in which said piston operates, said cylinder being mounted on the locomotive steam-chest substantially as set forth.

2. A spark-arrester for locomotives having a movable screen, devices for adjusting the screen to position to guard the stack when the engine is working and devices for adjusting the screen to such position when the blower is in operation substantially as set forth.

The combination in a locomotive of the smoke-stack, the screen movable into and out of position to guard the stack, a transverse shaft extending across the locomotive adjacent to said screen and provided at its middle with means for operating the screen, and at its opposite ends with crank-arms, a cylinder connected with the blower and having a piston connected with one of the crankarms of the shaft, and a cylinder having a piston connected with the opposite crankarm of the shaft, said cylinder being mounted on and in communication with the steamchest of the locomotive, substantially as set forth.

l EDXVARD JAMES SMITH. Vitnesses: f E. F. BARNES, C. M. FRINK. 

